Page 3060 - Week 07 - Thursday, 1 July 2010
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head-in-the-sand approach. Unfortunately, instead of actually responding and saying, “There are these cultural issues, there are problems, bullying and other things; I am going to address them so that we can actually improve healthcare for all people in the ACT,” the minister just denied there was a problem.
On 16 February on ABC news, there was a report of a mass walkout by doctors. The minister’s response was to attack the doctors and deny the problem. She looks to Ross Solly and says, “Well, what issues, Ross? This is the frustration I have.” Apparently, there are no issues according to the minister. Nine obstetric doctors resigned from the Canberra Hospital in 15 months due to an alleged bad workplace culture and instances of bullying. At least four doctors have written to Ms Gallagher saying they would refuse to work in this department of the hospital while the current culture of intimidation remained and she says to Ross Solly, “What issues?”
On 17 February, the next day, doctors react angrily and a caller to Triple 6 ABC Canberra’s breakfast program says he works with obstetricians across Canberra and considers himself a friend of the registrars who have recently left the hospital. I quote him:
Probably every single one of the registrars has been approached by people from large metropolitan hospitals elsewhere and been offered work because they’re aware the situation down in Canberra had become so toxic.
It just concerns me people can say they’re not aware of the problem when people interstate are aware of the issues. She needs to give a very clear and frank explanation and she needs to be honest.
She needs to make sure she doesn’t try and cover this up. She needs to make sure it’s her that comes and addresses these issues rather than faceless bureaucrats.
On 18 February, on ABC Online, we had:
Maternity unit tension threatens training. The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists … says workplace problems are preventing Canberra-based obstetricians from doing more public work. A confidential report … found “dysfunctional relationships within the Obstetrics and Gynaecology Department. This is a sensitive ‘in-house matter …’.”
Once again, that was denied by ACT Health. We note that on 18 February the ACT government launched a new campaign against workplace bullying in the territory, which is pure coincidence according to Simon Corbell.
But what we did have revealed finally by the minister under questioning from the opposition was that there were serious problems. She revealed in her own language:
I think the long and troubled history in obstetrics, as would be well known to anybody who spent time looking at them, always appears to arise when vacancies are advertised at the Canberra Hospital.
She referred to “the war that has existed in obstetrics for in excess of 10 years”. This was on 24 February. Just a week earlier the health minister was saying, “Well, what problems, Ross? There are no problems.” Then she acknowledged that there has been
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